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I commend you both on your experience with the hammock and the way you tell it like it is—not ideal. At least not yet. I have slept three nights in my ENO (two in SN and one in DN) and agree that it’s not yet ideal. And I put a ton of slack in the mock so I could get the best diagonal lay I could. It was okay—better the second and third nights than the first (I was indoors, by the way, on my hammock stand)—but not like sleeping on a cloud, or any BS like that. So, still tweaking. I think my HH Asym will be better (just an impression) once I get that suspended properly. I sold a kayak and some gear and, flush with cash and newbie enthusiasm, have a WB BB coyote 1.0 dual on order, so I’m watching your thread, Lonely. I', like you, have read fabulous things about the WB, and Brandon explains it well in the videos--I look forward to trying it out myself, and posting about it on my blog.

I gotta say, and this is not a knock to hammock forum, which I really like for information—the members here are incessantly complimentary of one another and the reviews are like advertisements. I see no real critical written or video reviews—it is like a bunch of guys hanging around patting one another on the back constantly.

I’d love to see (and sure, on other websites they exist) some serious critical reviews of gear—list those minuses, tell us the “cons”, mention what “sucks”. On a popular paddling website, the members will trash a product (even a “cottage” product) if they thing it inferior. Still civil with one another, they just “tell it like it is”.

You’re not bashing a product, just being honest about the experience of hanging, I understand. But that’s refreshing.

I think it's b/c there isn't much gear reviewed here that's really that bad. But I think part of what you're seeing is the spirit of the community. We're not complainers, so if we see something that's not quite right, we just mod it instead. If you want to see what people don't like about a piece of gear, search for mods on it. Other than swapping out suspension, there are very few mods done to WBBBs...that should tell you something!

However, I do have to disagree with you a bit. Have you seen the comments on Clark's insulation system? And the mediocre reviews of the Vertex? Hennessy's bottom entry, lack of a zipper (until he made the Deep Jungle), small tarps, and general bland reviews of the SuperShelter? Flat quilts compared to shaped quilts? Everything ENO except the hammock itself (SlapStraps, tarps, Ember)? The bad reviews of the Eureka Chrysalis? Pretty honest about the pros/cons of sil/spinn/cuben products, too...that counts, IMO.

So it's all there, IMO...just that it's hard for a hammock product to "suck" and that we'd rather fix it than complain about it.

JMHO!

“Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit, and intelligence of the citizens. They fall when the wise are banished from the public councils because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are rewarded because they flatter the people, in order to betray them.” ~Judge Joseph Story

Just to be clear, I'm in no way bashing the Blackbird. I think it's a fine piece of kit. I'm just questioning if I can sleep in it due to the way I sleep (or lack of skill setting it up).

I'm not one to give up easy, so I'm going to try and give it a go at least once a week (on cooler, more bug free nights!) till snow hits the ground. If I can't make it work by then...well, it should be pretty easy to sell a WBBB.

Fellas, the sleeping on the cloud thing really isn't b.s. I am a newbie myself,
Had my black bird since early spring, spent maybe 20nights in it so far, and have experienced the whole realm of cloud bliss and uncomfortable. (still better than a bed though) I am going on a month now of sleeping in my traveler every night in my spare room and shop...Still tweaking and experimenting. I don't ever really see a bed ever in my future again.. I don't think comfort can be a generic thing, the tweaking is the fun part and answer for some I would think..
But I do believe Brandon gets you as close as can be for everyone..
I hope you find your sweet spot soon...

I’d love to see (and sure, on other websites they exist) some serious critical reviews of gear—list those minuses, tell us the “cons”, mention what “sucks”. On a popular paddling website, the members will trash a product (even a “cottage” product) if they thing it inferior. Still civil with one another, they just “tell it like it is”.

You’re not bashing a product, just being honest about the experience of hanging, I understand. But that’s refreshing.

I was nicer about this hammock than I remember being, but here you go.
This was an off-brand product that had a great price and a lot of folks were looking to buy one.

Seriously, I love this hammock, I enjoy lounging in it while reading a book. I just need to figure out how to sleep in it. One could say I'm a picky sleeper.

Part of when I went with the Warbonnet Blackbird, is that I wanted to make sure I started with the best experience possible. Brandon's customer support (answered every one of my newb E-mails), and the rave reviews here in the forums pointed me to the Blackbird.

Now I just need to figure out how to sleep in it. I'll keep you all updated. I'm hoping to get some hang time this weekend since the weather is turning out cooler than predicted.

If you have one, try an inflatable pad... a good thick one not a normal backpacker's self-inflating one. That helped me a lot with the knees and makes getting and keeping something stuffed under them for greater comfort an easier proposition. For a long time I packed around an Exped down stuffed pad but I have now switched to under-quilts. The Exped was just so heavy and bulky but it did work pretty well. Then something ripped and feathers shot out the valve and that was that. To sleep well you must be warm first and that gets spendy, but no matter how good it is, if you are getting cold it will amplify any small discomfort and make it amazingly difficult to get back to sleep.

I also take along a little "Simply Sleep" on my trips as it tends to make me less apt to wake to the sounds or small discomforts and makes it easier to 'shut my head off' and get to sleep. I'm normally a light sleeper and my brain does not ignore things that are out of the ordinary for me to hear at night.

Funny thing for me has always been that if I attempt to keep my eyes open in it during a breezy afternoon, it's impossible. I'm out almost every time. I don't know how many times I have had to adjust plans for the day because my quick 30 minute break in the hammock turned to a 4hr snooze fest. Then I get in at night and the mindset is different and it becomes a much bigger chore to fall asleep.

My $.02. Get it setup with warmth so you are not waking up cold. Then, move out of the yard and go somewhere that is enough of a drive that you won't grab a pillow and head back to bed and go do a night or two there. Hike, work a bit at camp stuff and then see how you sleep overnight and if you can fall back asleep by just shifting around a bit to relieve pressure points. Like I said, sleeping can have a lot to do with mindset. I can't sleep all night in my front yard because my bed is nice and comfy and it's 20 steps away. At a lake cabin I strung my hammock up outside and slept great out there because the cabin was hot and stuffy at night and the mattress was not that comfortable.

The Holy Grail--"The Cloud". Like Stan.

Hey, I gotta say, I did overstate it. You’re right JustJeff about the mods being one solution to things that need improvement, and some on your list of things that “need improvement”, we shall say. Your list is accurate. That’s pretty funny, too, Cannibal’s review. And, in hindsight, you went easy on the product. Ha ha.

Well, I look forward to LR’s further trials and tribs with the WBBB (not as a product, just as a personal experience; understood). It’s good to see an honest thought on a new experience. I just this morning got a Grand Trunk Nano, slapped on AHE whoopie slings, and threw it on the Byer Vario and took a one hour nap. Even in that thin, smaller hammock, it let me sleep soundly (even though I do have a crick in the spine now, admittedly).

I know Brandon makes a sweet product. I look forward to getting my WBBB Dual 1.0 coyote-no rush as I’m still fiddling with these ‘mocks that I already have—and will post my experiences with it, or do a video on it, Lonely Raven.

Hey LonelyRaven ..... I suggest going out on an actual 2 or 3 night backpack trip ...... exhaustion makes for a real good slumber. And there is just something about the feel and smell of the piney woods to send you down Narcoleptic Avenue.
Seriously ..... it gets better out there.
Wishing you hammock happiness.
Shug